


The Treasures Within

by Nati_tati23



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: M/M, klance
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-05-28
Updated: 2018-05-28
Packaged: 2019-05-14 18:52:20
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 8,735
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14775245
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Nati_tati23/pseuds/Nati_tati23
Summary: In the monarchical modernize nation of Galaxia, war looms over the peaceful nation. When the Princess begins to call for her officers, it will lead to one of their kin, Keith, to seek out more about this brewing war. Despite all this, he still had time to meet a cute shopkeeper named Lance, dedicated to help Keith in his cause.





	1. Keith: "Too Soon"

I’ve always been looking for something. I don’t know what for, but I know I need to find it. It’s like I’ve forgotten something and the only thing I can do is wander aimlessly until I remember. For the first 19 years of my life, I searched for the answer to the question I didn’t even know. But it changed when I saw a light.

* * *

“Keith you wouldn’t mind heading to the Herbalist Farm to get me some spices. I’m trying this new dish for dinner-” I was sprawled out on my couch, at the edge of drifting into a nap when my roommate, Shiro’s, request woke up me. I sat up and grabbed his car keys which were sitting in a bowl on the coffee table in front of me.

  
Turning around so I faced him, I asked, “Whatcha need?”

  
“Um...” he pulled out his phone which was a clear case, but inside was a photo of the two of us from a few months ago. It was the day he got back from his time in the Royal Guard. He laid in a hospital bed, his shoulder wrapped in bandages, his right arm gone. I learned next to him with a weak but truly happy smile. My eyes were red from tears but Shiro couldn’t look happier. He seemed older in the picture, believe it or not. His hair was at his shoulders and the front of his hair had gone white. I try not to remember that time, but Shiro keeps the photo on his phone as a reminder of how lucky he is to be alive and a bunch of other philosophical shit. Currently, he cut his hair to a short fluff on top of his hair. The stub of his shoulder was replaced with a robotic arm. But he was definitely healthier and hopefully happier.

  
“We have vegetable oil, broth hmmm. Alright, I need coriander, cardamom, and some ginger.” He said writing it down on a post-stick note. I got up from the couch and met him halfway as he passed the note to me.

  
“So what are you making?” I asked.  
“Winter Squash and Lentil Stew.”

  
My face twisted in disgust,“Sounds...new.”

  
“Oh grow up Keith, there’s nothing wrong with trying new things.” He teased, heading back into the kitchen. I grabbed my favorite red jacket off the coat rack by the front door and left our shared apartment.

  
Outside the apartment complex, I was met with a partly cloudy day. The city of Arus was a bustling metropolis and the capital city of Galaxia. From my apartment, I could see the Castle of Lions sitting in its beauty in the distance. The train system filled the street with its rumble as it passed, deafening compared to the hum of the automobiles. I unlocked Shiro’s small black car and climbed in. The car jumped to life with an ill-sounding cough of the engine.

  
I sat in silence for a majority of the ride but towards the end of my trip, I cracked the radio up. I recognized the song, it was the latest pop genre, electro swing. On mornings like this, the music helps wake me up. The Herbalist Farm come up on my right. I parked in front, maybe it’s the fact that people rather use the trains than cars or perhaps it’s because it’s a small store, but there’s always parking nearby. The store was on the corner of the street with windows on both sides showing the interior of the store. Although it’s hard to see much of the plants growing near the windows. I stepped in and was hit with the smell of mint and damp dirt. As the door swung open, a bell went off above me.

  
“Hello, welcome to the McClain Herbalist Farm, what can I get you today?” I was preparing myself for the old couple who usually ran the shop but instead, the voice was young and uppity. Looking forward I am met with a pair of blue eyes staring at me with a soft smile. It’s a young man, same dark-skinned ton as the old couple and similar hair but the eyes were different. He was a bit taller than me but more slender. Or from what I could tell from his uniform. He wore a simple black t-shirt and dark jeans but had a neutral green apron over that read “Herbalist Farm. Grown with Love”.

  
“Oh sorry-“ I cut myself off when I realized I was staring, “I was expecting to see Mr. McClain.” The boy’s smile grew as he chuckled.

  
“Yeah, they’ll be out for a while so I’m taking care of the shop in the meanwhile. My name is Lance, their youngest son.”

  
“Keith, a regular you could say,” I responded. He came close with a skip in his step, it didn’t register was he was doing at first. He picked up my limp right hand with his left and before I noticed he had taken the list of ingredients from my hand. I stepped back, did this kid not know of personal space. He read the list to himself before guiding me towards the back of the store. We passed a curtain which led into the back part of the store, apart the McClains never allowed customers into. I hesitated to follow Lance, but he didn’t even seem to notice. Taking a wary step forward, I entered their home. It was a screen room with the curtain to the northeast point of the room and a door to, presumably, the family’s living space, on the opposite end. The ground was made of hay or maybe dry grass, but plants grew in rows within buckets and baskets all around us. He picked a few herbs from their roots and bagged them for me.

  
“Here you are!” He sang as he passed the bag to me, “That’ll be 200 copper.” He expanded his other hand out to me. It didn’t register at first what he wanted from me. But when it did, I jumped to retrieve my wallet. I dug out a brown slip of currency, I counted out right before handing it to Lance. He smiled before taking us back to the front of the store. I watched him place the money in the register before he looked up and met my gaze. He squirmed under my gaze. He leaned over the counter and rested his chin in his hand.

  
“So you said you were a regular right?” He asked.

  
The question caught me off guard so like an idiot I said, “Yup.” Yup? Who says yup anymore? Although even if I had my guard up I’m not exactly the most social person, to begin with, I’m not sure if I could have given a smoother answer to that even if I tried.

  
“Well since you’re a regular, I’d like you to try this new recipe for a tea I’ve been working on. My mama told me, she once made this for King Alfor himself once upon a time. So I’ve been trying to perfect it.” As he spoke, he fiddled with a tea set behind him. I had to get closer to hear him, with his back turned to me. I was practicing in my head how to politely say no to such a cute little shopkeeper. “It’ll be free of charge!” Oh? Oh, a thing I’ve learned in all my years is to never turn down free things.

  
“Well, I suppose I could have a snip if it’ll help you out.” He turned around quickly nearly tripping over his own legs. He set a cup and spoon in front of me, the cup was blue with white waves painted around it.

  
“Great!” He turned around again and this time, slowed his motions. He seemed to want to make this tea as if he was actually making it for King Alfor! I watched his hands, slender and gentle as they examined the amount of powder they poured into the kettle. He whispered something to himself as he mixed the drink. My eyes wandered from his hands to his shoulders and down his back. He was so much higher and in shape compared to his parents, or perhaps that was just age. But Shiro told me, even when he was a child, the McClain’s were always more thick skinned, so where did their son get his slender figure from? Before I could ponder my question, Lance poured the hot tea into my cup and then some into his own. He pulled a stool out from under the counter and sat across from where I stood. He looked at my cup then up at me, his face almost blank. I raised the cup to my lips and took a slow sip. I thought it’d be too hot to taste anything but the heat filled my mouth with the taste of vanilla. As the liquid traveled down my body, I instantly relaxed. The vanilla taste began to fade into a fruity yet sugary flavor, almost like chocolate covered strawberries or caramel apples. I couldn’t quite pin down the exact taste but I knew that I liked it.

  
With a sigh, I took another sip, “Thank you, Lance. This is-” He didn’t wait for my answer, instead he started drinking his.  
“Damn it!” He cursed and his eyes began to water. Not good with emotional situations, I jumped up from the seat and backed away.

  
“Hey, uh Lance, it was really good! Like amazing! You don’t have to cry!”

  
He looked up at me and the tears were starting to form, he wiped his face and in a broken voice muttered, “It’s not the same. It doesn’t taste the same as when Mama made it-” He grabbed the cups and poured them down the drain, along with the kettle.

  
“Lance- it wasn’t that bad! It was actually really good- I liked it! Promise!” It sounded more like pleading than reassurance. Damn it, Keith. I took a deep breath and stepped behind the counter and grabbed the shopkeeper's shoulders. He didn’t seem to have an idea of personal space so hopefully, he won’t mind. “Pull yourself together. There’s no use crying over- tea, that doesn’t taste the same as your mom’s!” He took a deep breath and let me scowled him. When I was done he raised his head and whispered a soft, “you’re right” before sinking into his stool.

  
“It’s just, my mama used to make it all the time, to soothe me, put me to sleep, or just because I asked. But she stopped making it when the King died a few years ago.”

  
I studied his face as his eyes darted from the kettle to some far off land in his head. He must have really liked the tea! “Why not, ask her for the recipe?”

  
He shook his head, “She says, ‘the tea of our King should die with him.’ like what does that even mean!” The doorbell chimed and voices could be heard, we turned to see two people walk in, one a young man, dark-skinned and a bit on the heavy side. He towered over his counterpart, a young girl with long hair and glasses, extremely pale compared to Lance and the man.

  
“You so like her!” The girl teased, elbowing the man.

  
“I do not! She’s just my partner for class alright, don’t get any ideas.” The man looked up and gazed at Lance before facing me. Lance pushed me off him so quickly, I fell back on my butt.  
“Alright, I think it's time for you to go!” He said back in his regular happy-go-lucky voice. He grabbed my grocery bag and tossed it to me, “Keith, was it? It was a pleasure to meet you! Enjoy your meal, as my parents say they were grown with love!” He pushed me up and towards the door, past the two customers who still stared quietly at the scene. Once outside the shop, he let me stand on my own two feet. When I tried to say something that resembled a goodbye he just laughed loudly, “Bye-bye! Have a good day!” and with that, he slammed the door on me.  
What a strange shopkeeper.

It looked disgusting. I know what stew looks like and it shouldn’t look like that! My apartment reeked of steam vegetables and burnt meat. The windows were all open but the smell just wouldn’t leave. In front of me, stood a bowl of stew that Shiro made. All our dishes are white or stainless steel, yet the inside of the bowl was stained a murky yellow from the stew. It bubbled and each time one popped the contents inside would stir on their own as if it were alive. Shiro sat across from me and was eating it as if it wasn’t some sort of alien dish.

  
“What’s wrong Keith, not hungry?” He asked in between bites. My face scrunched up.  
“Not anymore,” I whined.

  
He just rolled his eyes, “it’s good for you, just eat it.” I shook my head and pushed the bowl away from me. I stood up to go find something edible to eat instead but as I passed Shiro, he grabbed my wrist. “Sit down and eat your food.” He locked eyes with him and stared me down, even though I was taller than him at the moment since he was sitting. I glared back and didn’t break eye contact. I knew how this was going to end but I wasn’t going to give up so easily. His stare was intense and full of authority while mine was most likely weak and clearly unedge, like an animal listening for predators. My eyes began to water and I was forced to blink. “Ha! Now go eat your dinner!” With a defeated groan, I dragged myself back to my seat and took slow bites of the stew. It was chunky and warm. I tried to chew it but the broth kept slipping down my throat, and when I tried drinking it, bits of carrots appeared out of nowhere in an attempt to choke me. Shiro finished his bowl no problem and even got seconds! When he was done with that I managed to finish my own plate. He took it from me and stacked his on top. Taking the dishes with him to the kitchen and dropping them in the sink. I met him there by going around the half wall separating the dining room from the kitchen and jumping over the island in the middle.

  
“This is a kitchen, not a jungle gym, young man.” He said sternly.

  
“Whatever you say, mom.” He turned around and grabbed me and pulled me to his chest. “Hey let go!” I said half-heartedly. I rather hold him forever if I could, but I knew Shiro too well. For only a moment, his hug brought me back to a time where we use to hold each other all night, for warmth mostly. I don’t miss those cold winter nights, but I do miss his touch. When he got back from the Royal Guard, he couldn’t even bring himself to touch me. His movements were cautious, like a scared stray animal. We’ve moved past that point, but he still can’t bring himself to just hold me. I miss it so much, but I’d never force him. Instead, he spun me passed him and positioned me next to the sink.

  
“As your mother, I order you to clean these dishes.”

  
“And as your not actually son, I say you better help me because you left a mess.” Shiro chuckled.

  
“Alright I’ll get the counter and floors, but you gotta make those dishes shine!” He picked up the dishes as he went around the space, scrapping the food off them and into the compost, before handing them off to me. I scrubbed them clean and stacked them in the dish rack next to the sink. When I finished, even though I didn’t have to I helped clean the dining room and kitchen with him. We had gotten to sweeping the bits of vegetables off the floor when there was a knock on the door.

  
We looked at each other, waiting for the other to say something about expecting visitors. I put the broom down and headed towards the door. Shiro doesn’t like opening doors, he says he imagines what's on the other side before he starts shaking. I looked through the peephole and saw through the fish-eyed view, three men standing in the hall, they were dressed in Royal uniform. Carefully I opened the door, when it was wide enough for them to see my full body, I used both hands to give them the standard bow. I placed my right hand on my forehead and my left hand on my chest, before bowing my head to them. They didn’t give the same hand bow but did lower their head in respect before we both raised.

  
“How can I help members of the Royal guard this evening?” I asked, making sure Shiro knew who was at the door. From the corner of my eye, I saw his face curl into a pained and scared expression.  
“Is this the Shirogane residence?” The one in front asked, from the single gold star on his shoulder I knew the man speaking was a Sergeant while the other two seemed to be regular privates, experienced though, their cold expressions showed their past like a mirror.

  
“It is, may I ask, what business you have with Shirogane.” The name choked in my mouth, it was so formal, but it was only professional to call him as that.

  
“His presence is requested at the castle, all other information is classified to civilians. Now, is he here or not? Keith Kogane.” I jumped at my name. Before I could respond. Shiro stepped out from the door behind me.

  
“Gentleman” he started. The soldiers walked past me and entered the house. They made themselves comfortable by handing me their hats and coats. Rude. They sat down on the couch and threw a briefcase onto the coffee table. I hung their belongings on the coat rack that was right next to the door, and clearly in their field of vision. “Can I get you something to drink? Coffee? Tea-“  
“How about a cold beer?” One of the soldier’s asked with a chuckle.

  
“Sorry that’s the one thing we don’t have, I haven’t drunk alcohol since I returned home.” The soldiers looked annoyed but didn’t push any farther. “So what is this about?”  
“Well like we said, you have been summoned.” The sergeant said. He opened the briefcase and handed a file to Shiro. He read it over carefully before standing up.  
“I see.” He said setting down the file. “Just give me a moment to pack a bag.” I stood near the door listening to every word but they were being too vague for me to understand much else but what they wanted me to know. Shiro got up and headed to his room, I ran after him.

  
“Shiro, what’s going on?” I asked once I closed the door. I kept my voice low, knowing these walls were thin.

  
“I’m needed at the castle.” He answered in a monotone expression. He took out a duffle bag and began packing only the essentials. “I’ll be gone for a while.”

My heart dropped, “what? Like a few days? Weeks?”

  
“I'm not sure.”

  
I jumped onto his bed to cut him off on his way to his dresser, “Takeshi!” I yelled. His first name startled him but that was the intention. “Can you at least tell me why you’re going away?” I begged. I grabbed his hands in mine to keep him from walking away from me. I kneeled in his bed but he still towered over me. His flesh hand began to tremble.

  
“I can’t. I’m sorry Keith. It’s for your own good. But I promise everything will be taken care of! I’ll have Matt swing by to check on you, you have access to my bank so you shouldn’t have to worry about money or food. “ He lacked more violently. I still had one of his hands in mine but that didn’t stop him.

  
“Takeshi,” my voice trailed off. I knew if it was the castle that summoned him then there was nothing I could do to keep him here with me. I tried to breathe in and out slowly to keep myself from crying but it was out of my control. Carefully, as if I was made of glass, he brushed the tears from my cheek and with a sad smile kissed my forehead.

  
“I know, I’m sorry that I have to leave you, again. But if this goes well then it’ll be the last time.” The guilty quickly set in. If he’s leaving, I don’t want him to worry about me and remember this moment. I straightened up and wiped away the tears.

  
“Don’t worry about me, I’ll patiently wait for you here.” That made him smile, “As a great man once said-”

  
“Patience yields focus.” We finished the sentence together. He pulled me into a tight embrace. Oh how I missed his hugs, and it would be the last for a while. I clung on as tight as I could, not wanting him to let go. I felt the cold metal of his prosthetic stroke my hair. I sank into his touch and tried to copy this moment into my head. His chest against my race, taking shaky long breaths. The smell of that damn stew still in his shirt. Even the sound of his groggy and clearly defeated voice was something I needed to record and save forever to my memory. He was the first to pull away. He reached into his pocket and took his phone out, he opened the case and took out the photo of us. He handed it to me. I only stared at his hand.

  
“I can’t take this.”

  
“Please, where I’m going, I won’t be able to keep it anyway. I want you to keep it safe for me until I come back. That’s an order.” He joked, placing the photo in my hand. I closed my fingers around the photo and held it close to my chest with my left hand. I climbed off the bed and kneeled down in front of him. I raised my right hand to my forehead and bowed my head.

  
“I swear to the heavens, I will keep this photo safe until your return, Lieutenant Shirogane.” Shiro bowed his head and when we rose, he smiled. His regular, happy and relaxed smile.

  
“Take care of yourself while I’m gone okay?”

  
I rose to my feet, “Okay.”


	2. Lance: "A Strange Encounter"

“Argh!” I passed back and forth behind the counter, nearly pulling my hair out. “You blew it, Lance!” I muttered to myself, “He’s hot and cool and clearly not interested in sob stories and you unloaded on him!” I threw myself down on the stool and buried my face in my hands.

  
“Usually I would try to cheer you up, but no. You really blew it there, Loverboy.” I peaked passed my fingers to see my close friend Katie, or what I call her Pidge, leaning on a shelf playing with the pedals of one of the many plants in my family’s shop. She was knocked off her balance when my other best friend, Hunk, pushed her off.

  
“Don’t be mean! You know how much that tea means to him.” He said, talking as if I wasn’t right there.

  
“You know how much getting fucked means to him too.” Pidge sneered. I threw a bag of seeds at her but she smoothly dodged it and stuck her tongue out. “Oh lighten up Lance. Chances are, you’ll find another hot customer to flirt within a week tops!” I looked at her to Hunk.

  
“But still, he’s a regular customer. If I weirded him out, he might not want to come back. And eventually Mama and Papi will notice and ask what happened to him, then I’ll really be in trouble.”Pidge rolled her eyes at that while Hunk laughed at the thought. I pouted, “I’m serious!”

  
“Sure you-” Pidge was cut short when the doorbell rang open. In walked a hooded figure, my first instinct was to push the alarm button but the person seemed to be soaking wet. Was it raining? I checked the window, it was. They dried their feet on the doormat, before taking their hood off. It was Keith!

  
I fell off my stool and stayed on the ground. Oh god, I didn’t expect him to be back so soon! I thought for sure I had scared him away! This is great, King Alfor must be looking upon me for such a blessing to happen. I jumped to my feet and smiled at him. But I wasn’t met with that handsome face I saw yesterday. Instead, his eyes were puffy and red. Bags showed he hadn’t slept for a while. His hair was an absolute mess and his clothes were dirty and wet. Hunk and Pidge made their own to the counter and watched with the same confusion as me.

  
“Lance right?” Keith asked.

  
“Yes?” He took a step forward. Oh god, I knew it. He came to tell me off for being such a crybaby yesterday, “I’m sorry for crying and spilling all my personal shit on you. It was just like a rough day. So-” He reached the counter and his facial expression didn’t change. He reached into his pocket and dug out some change.

  
“How much for you to make that tea again?” He asked. I stared at him, mouth gaping. Did he come here for the tea? It wasn’t even that good! It tasted nothing like Mama’s. Then again, Keith never knew the flavor of that magical drink.

  
“80 copper,” Pidge answered for me. Keith looked at her, before registering her words. He counted 3 silver pieces and 5 copper pieces. He slid them towards me.

  
“Oh! No, no, no. It’s free of charge. Consider it my apology for yesterday!” I turned around and took out the tea set from under the counter. I made the tea with the same recipe as yesterday, I didn’t like but he seemed to. I made enough for Pidge and Hunk as well. As the tea brewed, I ran to the back and got three stools for each of them. I set out cups and spoons and when I finished, I could smell the heated water had finished brewing. I poured each of them some before setting the kettle down on a bamboo mat. “Be careful alright it's-” Before I could finish Keith chugged it down and offered me his cup for more. “-hot.”

  
“I like you already!” Pidge exclaimed before attempting to chug her tea before spilling it on her dress and jumping out of her seat screaming, “Ah fuck! That’s hot!” Hunk took his time to blow gently on his tea before taking small sips.

  
“So um...Keith. You came back for tea?” I asked nervously. He nodded. “That’s all?” He nodded again. “Oh.” I don’t know what else I expected. He wasn’t there to scowled me, and it wasn’t even in the realm of possibilities for him to be here to confess that he thinks I’m cute and wants to take me on a romantic boat ride in the middle of the night. “Is everything alright, you look-”

  
“Dead.” Hunk said

.  
“Well, not dead, but tired.” I corrected.

  
“No, not that.” He had taken his phone out at some point and turned the screen to us, “Another body found on the border.” Just as he said, on his phone was a news headline for Galaxia news. The headline saying, ‘Body Found on the Border, who could it be?’ followed by a violent photo of a man lying dead in a forest with his limbs cut off and scattered to form a circle around his head which laid a few feet away.

  
“Gross,” I muttered, looking away. But Keith hadn’t even looked up from his tea. “But yeah, are you alright Keith?”  
“Fucking perfect.” He answered. His cold tone made me retract a bit. He must have noticed because his expression softened as he looked up at me, “Sorry, just had a really rough night. Thought your tea could cheer me up a bit.”

  
“And?” I asked. The tea is supposed to help with bringing positive energy to whoever drinks it.

  
“It tastes good, but I guess not even a good cup of tea is gonna help me.” I sighed, as I suspected. The tea had the flavor but not the effect. I made a mental note to research more on mood improving scents and flavors to try with the tea.

  
“Well, we could help you, if you need it.” Hunk offered. “I mean as long as it's not anything dangerous or illegal, we can help. I’m Hunk, by the way.” Keith looked up at Hunk, bewildered by the offer. But he soon lowered his head again.

  
“This isn’t something that can be fixed.” He responded. Oh, so edgy. I told myself with an eye roll.

  
“Nothing can’t be fixed, it’s all about solving the equation!” Pidge cheered, “We’ll help you, and prove there is nothing that cannot be fixed with brains, brawls, and glory!”   
I opened my mouth and tell them to leave Keith alone, but then an idea came to mind, “Yeah! Pidge, Hunk and I, we’ll help you with your problem! Whatever it is, we’ll help in any way we can!” We all hooked arms and smiled at a sad Keith.

  
“I mean-” Keith started. He took a long sip of tea before pouring himself another glass as if he was taking shots or something. “You’re welcome to try.”   
We all cheered. For whatever reasons we had, but mine was to win him over. If I get him to like me then I could be getting some mystery man dick. Or maybe, we’ll date and I’ll learn that he’s great inside and out.

  
“Alright! Let's take a crack at your problem.” I say, leaning over the counter.

  
Keith looked up at me with a weak smile, “My-” he paused, “brother, got drafted yesterday.” We all fell silent. I was expecting relationship problems or something but damn alright.

  
It was Hunk who broke the silence, “Well I’m sure he’ll be back soon. We’ve been at a cease-fire with the Galra for almost five years now.” Keith looked Hunk over and seemed to hear something else entirely.

  
“He’s a high ranking officer, I don’t understand why they would need him! They wouldn’t tell me either since it was classified!” He through air quotes around classified before letting his arms fall back on the counter.

  
Pidge and I exchanged a look. She carefully wrapped her short arm around Keith’s slender but broad shoulders, “Maybe he’s needed to sign some final peace treaty with the Galra. It would be stupid on both parties sides to continue fighting at this point.” I nodded at Pidge. I wanted to say something as smart and reassuring as Pidge and Hunk, but I knew little about politics.

  
“So for now, don’t worry about him, if he’s higher ranked than I’m sure he’ll be out of harm's way,” I added pouring him his fourth cup of tea. He chugged that one down like he did the others. But this time he stumbled out of his stool. “Are you alright?” I asked leaning over the counter to try and catch him from stumbling.

  
“What’s in that tea?” He asked holding his head in his hand.

  
“Its steamed Yunbana leaves with strawberry and vanilla extract mixed in,” I said, there were other things in it, but we’d be here all day if I explained them all.   
“Yuh-what?” Keith muttered. He leaned back against the back wall and stared at the ceiling.

  
Pidge answered, “Yunbana, a flower from the far regions. They are not native to this area but kept in the right conditions they can grow here. They are known for their beauty and scent. A common delicacy for rodents, so they evolved to release poison from their pedals. But when steamed, the poison subsides and turns into a liquid that-”

  
Keith clearly wasn’t keeping up with her explanation so I cut her short, “Alcohol.” I finished. His eyes widened.

  
“Is that why I feel so light headed?” he asked.

  
“Well yes, but there is such a small amount that it would take a lot to get the average person drunk,” I explained.

  
“Me-uh- I don’t drink. Haven’t ever.” He admitted. Oh shit. I left my station behind the counter and helped Keith to his feet.

  
“Alright, let’s get you upstairs.”

  
“No-no, I should get home.” His stutter was slowly transitioning to slurring. He pulled some car keys out of his pocket. But I snatched them out of his hand.

  
“Absolutely not, no drunk driving.” He tried to fight me for his keys, but the moment he let go, he stumbled backward and into Hunk. Hunk caught him with a smile and let Keith use him for balance as we led him through the back room and into the house.

  
No one was home and the shop is pretty slow, which leaves me with a lot of time to clean, so the house was spotless. Good thing for my unexpected visitor. The house was small but roomy. The living room was the first thing that came into view in the house. My mother had decorated it to be a tropical beach theme. With seashells in vases on the coffee table and the furniture to be a pale beige while the walls were an easy blue. I led Keith to the love seat, giving him his own chair but with lots of room. I went to the conjoining kitchen to fetch him water. As I poured him a glass, my thoughts began to spiral as a realization set in. The tea is supposed to calm people and numb them, alcohol did that, but Keith clearly wasn’t calm. He was in a daze and confused. I searched for a pen and grabbed the stick notes that were in the fridge and jotted down that Yunbana, didn’t calm but it did at first. Perhaps if I could find a second plant to mix in with it to subside the drinker’s heightened emotions maybe that will get me closer to the final result.

  
I slapped the new note along with the countless others in the fridge and brought Keith his water and some bread. He took little sips of the water and nibbled at the bread. We watched him, making sure he was in good condition. But I studied his face for traces of the effects of the tea. His eyes weren’t puffy anymore and the bags under his eyes had been replaced with rosy cheeks, from the alcohol. So it did physically help his condition but not emotional. That was probably the sprinkles of Hiymantis dirt at the time, it's known for having healing properties. Keith turned to look at me and locked eyes. I looked away and immediately apologized for starring, I hardly know the guy and I got him drunk, now I’m staring at him like he’s some sort of science experiment.   
When I looked back, he was still staring. So I decided to play it cool, “See something you like?” I grinned. Pidge and Hunk groaned but Keith seemed to be caught off guard at the comment, he choked on a piece of bread before turning to stare out the window instead.

  
“All I see is a stranger who got me drunk,” he responded.

  
“Well in my defense I told you to take it easy, you were the one that kept wanting more.” He spun around to glare at me, but he didn’t have a smart remark for that one. In a defeated huff, he shoved the bun into his mouth.

  
Once he finished he spoke again, “So Mr. Smartass you said you’d help me, so what’s your plan?” Oh, we’re still on that?

  
“Well, what exactly do you want us to help you with?” Pidge asked.

  
“If you need emotional support I can help with that!” Hunk added.

“No.” Keith cut in, “If they want to take Shiro, I need to know why.”

  
We all stared at him in silence. I began thinking of all the ways that four civilians could get access to classified information but none came to mind. Luckily I didn’t have to think much longer.   
“Matt.” Pidge answered, “He can help us!”

* * *

 

Once Keith sobered up, he drove us over to Pidge’s place, she sat in the shotgun while Hunk and I crammed in the back of his buggy. The drive to Pidge’s place was longer than I liked. We had to head uptown, towards the glass district. It was filled with expensive looking people and expensive looking shops. That made me uncomfortable, rich people are suspicious, that’s what I learned in my short 18 years and I will stand by that. Except for Pidge, she’s the exception.

  
Pidge left just across the bridge from the Brick and Glass district. She lived in a beautiful two-story home and as the name goes, most of it was glass. It had a cut clean yard that was fenced in with a low white fence that wrapped around the property, acting as a barrier between her house and the next. She opened the gate and let us in, leaving the car up front. We were met with loud barks. From the backyard, a giant Leonberger came bounding towards us. It tackled Pidge, knocking her to the ground. Pidge only laughed, but Keith seemed utterly terrified.

  
“Don’t tell me you’re afraid of dogs.” I teased.

  
He placed me between him and the dog before answering, “No! It’s just that's a big ass dog.” Pidge sat up and pushed the giant animal off her. When she stood up, the dog spun in a circle before stopping with its button her legs. She scratched his fur above his tail and the dog immediately sat down.

  
Pidge patted twice on his chest and the dog run up the stairs to the front door, “Don’t worry, Rover is a sweety. He wouldn’t hurt a fly.” She led us inside where we were met with her mother, a sweet aging woman who greeted each of us with a kiss on the cheek. When she got to Keith she examined him carefully.

  
“And who’s this handsome young man?” She asked, “He wouldn’t be your boyfriend would he?” She teased. Keith and Pidge stared at each other before both of them looking away embarrassed.

  
“Mom, just because I have guy friends doesn’t mean they are my boyfriend.” Pidge and Rover headed towards the back of the house and her mother left us alone. She found a stairwell and headed down. It led to a cozy living space with two doors on either side. Pidge knocked on the door to her left and waited for a response. When none came she knocked harder, “Matt!” She yelled, “Turn off the hentai and open the door!”

  
The door swung open and hit the wall with a bang. Rover pushed past the man in the doorway and made himself cozy on the rug. Standing before us was Pidge’s male doppelganger. Just with longer hair and a scar on his cheek. “What?!” He yelled before noticing she brought guests. “Oh uh, hey Lance, Hunk and-” He paused when he saw Keith.

  
“Oh, this is-” Pidge began to explain but Matt wasn’t listening. He walked over to Keith and pulled him into a tight hug. “You know each other?”

  
“I’m sorry Keith.” He said, Keith, laid limp in his embrace but slowly did raise his arms up to hug Matt back. “Come in, come in, I’m sure you have questions.” Matt let us into his room which was more of an office space with a hammock in the back. There were bean bags along the far wall which we all took a seat in while he sat in his office chair after he closed and locked the door. “Please, Shiro told me to answer any questions you had. He couldn’t before because the guards would have heard, they have ears everywhere.”

  
Keith nodded and sat up in his bean bag chair, “Why did Shiro have to leave?” He asked.

  
Matt thought for a minute, he seemed to have been figuring out how to phrase his sentences. He spun around in his chair and began typing away at his computer. I turned and studied Keith’s face. I never noticed how odd his eyes were. They were wide in the center yet sharp on the ends, his iris were purple of all colors and in the computer’s blue light they almost looked pink. His eyes tried to read the screen a mile a minute. His eyebrows were scrunched up in frustration, presumably, no one can read as fast as Matt. His hair had dried off from the rain and now revealed a mullet peeking out from under his hoodie. Just looking at him made my heart pound. I swore to myself at that moment that I was going to help him, in any way I can.

  
“Here.” Matt pulled my attention towards his screen, on it was a file. “It seems there are summoning high ranking officers for a meeting, the details of the meeting are still unknown. But it’s an Orange.” 

“A what?” Keith asked.

  
“Orange, the level of importance. It follows a rainbow, violet means its option, purple is mandatory but usually used to discuss updates on soldiers or new recruits. Blue is important, usually handles orders straight from the royal family, but nothing too serious. Maybe the Princess needs an escort or something, nothing too bad. Next is green, Green is matters related to the safety of the public if a threat has revealed itself it is a Green. If it's yellow, it's a matter of national security, if it is Orange that means something terrible is about to go done and they need to act fast. Red is- well it has only been used once.”

  
I answered this time, “Red is when we’re under attack. It means everyone has to evacuate or say your final goodbyes.” Just the sound of a code red brought me back to my childhood, almost a decade ago. I can still hear the sirens and police yelling at everyone to run. I will never forget that day, no matter how hard I try.

  
“So something serious is about to happen and they needed Shiro?” Keith asked.

  
“Seems that way.” Matt answered, “I can probably find out more, after the meeting but as if right now, its locked under high security. Usually, I could make it past them but it’d take too long, we have more luck waiting for the meeting to end than that.”

  
And so we waited. And waited, and waited. At some point, Hunk fell asleep and Pidge had drifted off to sleep, curled up on Rover. I tried to sleep but every time I close my eyes I could see the flashing lights.

* * *

  
“Lance, we can’t bring Mr. Buns!” My sister Veronica screamed as she tried to pull me away from a stationary giant teddy bear. I was only 9 years old and I loved that bear, but her strength forced me to let go, but I didn’t let that stop me from screaming a kicking. She threw me onto her shoulder and ran out of our small farmhouse. She tossed me on the ground and caught her breath, “Lance, please! I can’t carry you, we have to go.” She tried to talk smoothly but I wasn’t listening. I couldn’t understand why I had leave Mr.Buns. She gave that to me for my five birthday and I had it ever since. 

“Veronica, Lance! What are you standing around for, the car is ready!” Our mother an elderly woman ran towards us, a blanket wrapped around her head and shoulders. 

“Lance won't-”

“I want Mr. Buns!” I screamed, throwing a tantrum. My mother stormed over and pulled me up to my feet, I expected her to smile and tell me to go get my toy but instead, she slapped me. I stopped screaming and stared at the ground. 

“Lance, this is not the time to be whining for a fucking toy!” She scowled. She dragged me by my hair and threw me into the back of the truck, where my brothers Marco and Luis looked at me with pity. Marco clung onto our niece, a 3-year-old who had no clue what was going on. Veronica climbed into the back with us and took her child into her arms. 

“Where are we going?” She asked her mother. 

“Somewhere safe Reina.” Once the truck started and I was back from the shock of being hit, I looked around. Our farm was in ruins, the vegetables that once grew were dead and gone. Luis said we had to give most of it to the soldiers. I could see smoke coming over the horizon and screams from my neighbors. I scooted towards the end of the truck to watch the scene unfold. I could smell the mints and herbs my neighbors had grown in the air, now mixed with ash and dust. People were running to put things in their car and were in a panic. It was hard to hear anything over the siren blaring all around us, screaming ‘Code Red, Code Red’. 8 years old me couldn’t comprehend what was happening but I knew I was scared. 

As if things couldn’t get any more chaotic, the earth below us began to tremble. I was nearly tossed out of the truck if Luis hadn’t grabbed my shirt and pulled me down. He tucked my head under his chest as we drove. I couldn’t see anything but the dirt patches on his beige work shirt. I heard loud crashes in the distance, and with each crash, a gust of hot wind hit my back. I tried to peak but Luis kept shielding me. I didn’t understand why Luis got to see what was happening and not me, he was only 3 years older than I was! The car crawled to a stop and I used my moment to peak my head out. I regretted it instantly. There were craters the size of ponds all around the truck. The beautiful fields I had known were now in flames and a foul stench filled the air. 

“Everyone out!” My father yelled, jumping out of the front seat and lowering the truck to help us out. Veronica had wrapped her child in a blanket so she could carry Reina like a backpack. With her free hands, she held my hand and pulled me forward. I ran as fast as I could, trying to see what was the cause of the smell, but it hit me, literally. The ground shook and I lost my balance, causing me to fall into a pile of mud. Looking down, I realized it was mud. I fell into the exposed intestines of a corpse. I screamed, followed by vomit. Marco picked me up in his arms and carried me as he ran, let me throw up on his shirt. I knew what it meant for something to be dead, we killed cattle all the time but I had never seen a dead human before. Never did I know that human flesh smelled the same as a dead cow. That sour and sweaty meat smell that filled my head and I couldn’t get it out. 

“We’re gonna die.” I heard Luis mutter. Followed by my mother saying, “only the unprepared die, not us.” We ran for what felt like only seconds before the ground trembled again. This time it threw all of us to the ground. 

“Take cover!” Shouted my mother. But it was too late, an explosion went off so close that it sent Marco flying. I screamed and ran to him. Marco was my hero, he was 17 and wasn’t old enough to get drafted but I remember him begging the soldiers to let him fight, they kept telling no until he had to forcefully be removed from the area. He said once he was 18 he was going to join the military and become a captain. His dream was crushed at the moment when his legs had been blown off in the explosion. He screamed in agony and tried to push me away from him. My mother ran to him and tried to pick up the remains of his legs and reattach it to his body as if that would work. The ground trembled again, this time we didn’t run. I threw myself over Marco, I didn’t want him to get hurt again. Veronica gave me Reina who I hugged close to my chest. Luis joined us in the huddle while Veronica and my parents where the final layer of our weak shelter. Once it went off, we got up and tried to move forward. Luis and I carried Marco while Veronica carried Reina. I could see the wall separating the grass district from the wood district and I was filled with so much hope. 

“Look, Marco, we’re almost there!” I cheered. I could see the open gates with crowds of people fleeing inside. We rushed toward the gate as fast as we could, but my small body, couldn’t carry my wounded brother for much longer, I tripped over the uneven path and my father replaced me in carrying my brother. Everyone continued on but Veronica. My foot had gotten caught in a ditch from where a bomb had been dropped. I tried to dig my foot out but it got sudden on something else, I brushed off the dirt to see a frail hand on my foot, I screamed again. Oh god, the bombs had awakened the dead! Veronica ran back to see what happened. She pulled me up but she ended up pulling out a person as well. It was an old woman who had grabbed my foot, she was pleading from her eyes and missing her other arm. 

“Please-please help me!” 

“Let go of him!” Veronica said kicking the lady in the face, which got her to let go. I felt so bad, but I knew later that, she wasn’t going to make it anyway. But we were if we got to the gate in time. The lady hissed and grabbed onto Veronica’s leg dragging her down. Reina fell out of her pouch and scrambled to her feet.

“Mama!” She cried running to her mother. The lady switched grab Reina instead. 

“No, let go!” 

“Mama!” I screamed, which got my mother’s attention, she started running back but paused when she heard a whistle overhead. 

“Lance!” I looked up I saw it was bomb fighter. I got up to run but that woman had twisted my ankle in the wrong direction, I couldn’t get up. 

“Veronica, Reina!” I screamed. Veronica turned back to see the plane open its carrier and began to push out a missile. Veronica grabbed me by my leg and dragged into the ditch. The woman had refused to let go of Reina. 

“If we give them a sacrifice they will live us alone!” The woman said with a crooked smile. She dragged herself out of the ditch and dragged Reina with her. She took a sharp stone and dug it into the child’s chest. Veronica screamed and tackled the woman, and they brawled. Weakly I grabbed Reina and dragged her back into the ditch with me, where she was crying and screaming. I tried to take the stone out but Reina would start throwing her little fist. She screamed so loudly, before falling silent. 

“Reina? Reina?!” I yelled shaking her. Veronica looked back. She picked the woman in the chest knocking the woman backward. She dove into the ditch and crawled back into the wall. She turned so her back was out and covered us with her body. I remember the blast being hot and sharp but after that? Nothing.


End file.
